An unfortunate incident occurred in Delta State, where stray bullets fired by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officers reportedly killed a two-year-old child and injured his sibling.
This took place during a raid on a notorious drug joint in the Okpanam area.
The deceased child, Ivan Omhonria, and his younger sibling, Eromonsele, were hit by stray bullets shortly after returning from school to their mother’s shop.
Sources stated that Ivan was struck in the abdomen and his sibling suffered an eye injury.
The children were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Asaba, but Ivan did not survive.
NDLEA State Commandant, Mr John Tunde, confirmed the incident. He insisted that his officers did not intentionally shoot at the children. “We can’t be that unprofessional to open fire on a shop,” he said.
Tunde explained that his men were attempting to stop a suspicious car that was trying to escape the scene, and one of the officers was run over.
“In attempts to demobilize the car, our men shot at it. What we cannot tell now is whether the children were inside the car at the time of the shooting,” he said.
Tunde expressed his condolences and stated that he had visited the hospital with the father of the child.
